(i) On an outline map of Africa, mark and name (i) the equatorial climatic zone (ii) one Mediterranean zone (iii) one important town in each zone (b) State ...

Answer Details

(a) Location on the outline map of Africa

• (i) Equatorial climatic zone: the Congo (Zaire) Basin and the Guinea coast lands lying roughly between 5°N and 5°S – town: Kisangani (or Douala).
• (ii) One Mediterranean zone: the extreme north-west coast (northern Morocco/Algeria) or the south-western tip around the Cape – town: Algiers (or Cape Town).
• (iii) Important town in each zone: as named above.

(b) Four characteristics of the equatorial climate

1. High temperatures all year, about 26 to 27°C, with a very small annual range because the sun is nearly overhead throughout.
2. Heavy rainfall all the year round, over 150 to 250cm, with no real dry season; rain is mainly convectional, falling as afternoon thunderstorms.
3. Very high relative humidity (about 80 per cent or more) and much cloud cover, giving a hot, sticky, oppressive feel.
4. Double rainfall maxima following the two equinoxes, and small diurnal (day-to-night) temperature range with regular "four o'clock" rains.

(c) Two ways the equatorial climate affects agriculture

1. The constant heat and moisture allow all-year cultivation of tree crops such as oil palm, cocoa, rubber and plantains, and support dense rainforest that yields timber; growth is rapid and continuous.
2. However, the heavy rain leaches nutrients and readily erodes bare soils, encourages rapid weed growth, pests and crop diseases, and the wetness makes drying and storage of harvests difficult, so shifting cultivation and careful soil management are needed.